The Atlanta Hawks’ plans to celebrate Magic City, which is one of the most popular and highly patronized strip clubs in the U.S., have been canceled by the NBA.
As previously reported by Face2Face Africa, the Hawks, in an effort to celebrate Magic City as a cultural institution in Atlanta, announced a collaborative “Magic City Monday” promotional night scheduled for March 16. The Hawks, in a statement, explained that it was a “special one-night collaboration to celebrate the city’s iconic cultural institution Magic City during the team’s home game against Orlando [Magic] on Monday, March 16.”
The collaborative event between the Hawks and the strip club was intended to provide certain aspects of the Magic City experience at the State Farm Arena on the planned date. Besides adding the strip club’s famous lemon chicken wings to its menu, fans would have been entertained with music, while exclusive merchandise was expected to be put up for sale.
“While we are very disappointed in the NBA’s decision to cancel our Magic City Night promotion, we fully respect its decision,” the Hawks said Monday, per The Associated Press. “As a franchise, we remain committed to celebrating the best of Atlanta — with authenticity — in ways that continue to unite and bring us all together.”
Despite the cancellation, the Hawks said that some aspects of “Magic City Monday” will still go ahead. Renowned and award-winning Atlanta rapper, T.I., will still perform as planned, while the strip club’s famous lemon pepper wings could be added to the menu for the night.
However, the sale of the exclusive merchandise will not go ahead as planned, and the same applies to a live podcast recording that was initially set to involve Hawks’ primary owner Jami Gertz, T.I., and Magic City founder Michael Barney.
The announcement of the collaboration by the Hawks drew divided opinions, with some welcoming the initiative and others criticizing it.
One of the notable people who registered their displeasure with the collaboration was San Antonio Spurs center Luke Kornet, who argued that the NBA has to “desire to protect and esteem women.” Kornet, 30, also argued that allowing the “night to go forward without protest would reflect poorly on us as an NBA community, specifically in being complicit in the potential objectification and mistreatment of women in our society.” Al Horford, who currently plays for the Golden State Warriors and was teammates with Kornet at the Boston Celtics, sided with the 30-year-old’s sentiments.
READ ALSO: Snoop Dogg’s wife Shante Broadus opens strip club in L.A. inspired by Ice Cube movie
It appeared the NBA took note of the backlash, as it announced the cancellation of the event on Monday.
“When we became aware of the Atlanta Hawks’ scheduled promotion, we reached out to Hawks leadership to better understand their plans and rationale,” NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said. “While we appreciate the team’s perspective and their desire to move forward, we have heard significant concerns from a broad array of league stakeholders, including fans, partners and employees.
“I believe canceling this promotion is the right decision for the broader NBA community.”
Founded in 1985, Magic City plays a significant role in Atlanta’s nightlife. The high-end and luxurious adult entertainment establishment attracts several customers and superstar celebrities, including rappers/singers, actors, athletes, influencers, among others. The establishment is so popular within the entertainment and hip-hop community that it has been mentioned by several rappers in their songs.
Despite having a section of people who enjoy and patronize their services, some critics argue that places of such nature rather objectify the women who work there as strippers.
Magic City and the Atlanta Hawks also have a connection, as Gertz was named as one of the producers of a five-part docuseries about the strip club, per The Associated Press. The project, per IMDb, “unveils the untold stories behind Atlanta’s most influential Black cultural hub.”
“This collaboration and theme night is very meaningful to me after all the work that we did to put together ‘Magic City: An American Fantasy,’” Gertz said when the Hawks announced “Magic City Monday.”
“The iconic Atlanta institution has made such an incredible impact on our city and its unique culture.”